PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT This application from the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) requests support for the continuation of the Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women?s Health (BIRCWH) K12 Scholars Program. The overall objective of MUSC?s BIRCWH program is to attract translational scientists in the neuroscience arena to broaden interdisciplinary research related to women?s health in South Carolina and throughout the U.S. Since its inception in 2007, the MUSC BIRCWH has supported 16 Scholars who have garnered more than $34 million in extramural research funding, either as Principal Investigators or as Co- Investigators, and have published more than 100 peer-reviewed manuscripts since their original BIRCWH appointment. During the previous project period, the program recruited a total of 9 Scholars (6 PhDs, 2 MD/DOs, and 1 MD/PhD), including two under-represented minorities. The program targets junior faculty who have an interest in developing research careers addressing women?s health and sex/gender issues in the neuroscience area. In this renewal application, three Scholars will be appointed to the program each year, and they will remain in the program for a minimum of two and maximum of four years, depending on their level of training and experience at entry. While each Scholar will have an individual career development plan, all will participate in core components, such as a seminar series focused on sex and gender issues in neuroscience research, MUSC?s Sex and Gender Studies Research Day and training in Responsible Conduct of Research, providing ample opportunity for interaction and the development of interdisciplinary collaborations. The substantial expertise in translational neuroscience at MUSC assures the program?s ability to mentor individuals and contribute significantly to the understanding and treatment of women?s health issues related to brain and behavior across the lifespan. Representing 10 departments, the thirty mentor faculty have a broad distribution across disciplines with research focusing on neuropsychiatric disorders, neurological disorders and cognitive neuroscience and neuroimaging.